An accused gangster nicknamed 'Vinny Gorgeous' became even more dapper yesterday when the judge in his murder trial lent him a tie after jailers had refused him one.

Vincent Basciano is charged with murder and racketeering, allegedly committed on behalf of the Bonanno crime family in 2004.

I'll have a 12-inch with mouse on top

The owner of a Philadelphia pizza shop has been arraigned on charges he schemed to plant live mice in competing pizza parlours in the hope of putting them out of business.

Nickolas Galiatsatos, of Nina's Bella Pizzeria, is accused of putting bags of mice at nearby competitors earlier this week.

Woman sues over store's 'slip-up'

A banana peel, the torment of many a cartoon character, has allegedly become the real-life downfall of a woman in California.

Ida Valentine (58) is suing the 99 Cents Only store where she slipped on one last April.

Hundreds want to adopt miracle pup

Hundreds of people want to adopt a dog that survived an attempt to put it down.

The puppy was one of five stray dogs that animal control officer Scott Prall put to sleep last week -- or so he thought. Prall, of Sulphur, Oklahoma, found one of the dogs alive a day later in a rubbish bin.

RFK's murderer refused parole

A California parole board refused to free Robert F Kennedy's murderer, saying he had not shown enough remorse and did not understand the severity of a crime mourned by a nation four decades ago.

Sirhan Sirhan (66) spoke at length at Pleasant Valley State Prison, expressing sorrow, but said he did not remember shooting the US presidential candidate in June 1968.

'WikiLeaks mole' on fresh charges

A US soldier suspected of leaking thousands of classified documents to WikiLeaks has been charged with aiding the enemy -- a crime that can bring the death penalty or life in prison.